The two main culprits are heterocyclic amines (HCAs) and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs). Both are formed when beef, pork, fish, or poultry is cooked at the high temperatures that come with cooking over an open flame.

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To lower your risk, trim the fat off your meat, cut it into smaller pieces, and opt for a marinade before you hit the grill. Or you could skip the meat altogether and feast on fruits and vegetables, which don’t produce HCAs.

Watch the video above for more tips to help keep HCAs and PAHs from being a summer barbecue buzzkill.